We’ve done the leg-work, interrogated photographers, and spoken to our secret sources. Now here’s the low-down on the latest, greatest photography gifts and gadgets. No lens mugs or camera cufflinks here.
Read on…
Lomo Instant Camera
The Lomo Instant is your old Polaroid on steroids. Good steroids though. This film camera features a built-in wide-angle lens with fisheye and portrait lens attachments. It’s compatible with Fujifilm Instax Mini film, has three shooting modes, colour gels, long exposure, and comes in three ‘editions’ (colours to you and me). Helloooo Lomo!
More info: bit.ly/S7Bwoq
Price: £89 upwards
WD Wireless Hard Drive
A great back-up device for your photo shoots, just stick your memory card into the WD’s built in slot and it will copy photos to its hard drive. Then later on you can wirelessly stream the pics to your computer / phone / tablet / TV (in fact pretty much everything with wifi) – so particularly good for Togs with an iPad. It comes in 1TB or 2TB flavours, with a rechargeable battery that lasts up to (a claimed) 20 hours, plus password protection.
More info: bit.ly/We6ixL
Price: £130 upwards
Manfrotto BeFree Travel Tripod
This lightweight and portable tripod is perfect for photographers on the move. Its aluminium design is unusually stylish for a compact tripod, and because it’s only 40cm long when closed it fits into most luggage – although it does come with its own shoulder bag. With a maximum payload of 4kg it can be used with long zoom lenses, and the aluminium ball head is solid, quick and simple to operate.
More info: bit.ly/1aMbj7S
Price: £150
“I Shoot People” Novelty Stuff
Yes we know we promised no tacky stuff, so we’re sneaking this in under the radar. Over on Etsy they’ve got a whole range of cute “I Shoot People” gifts. Our favourite is “I shoot people, then I frame them”. We’re easily pleased.
More info: etsy.me/1vpi3l4
Price: Not a lot
Nova Wireless Pocket Flash For iPhone
No list would be complete without an iPhone accessory. So as the folks over at Nova like to say – here’s a ‘bright new way to take better photos’. Originally a Kickstarter campaign, the wireless flash has recently come on the market at a pretty reasonable price. Size-wise, it’s a little smaller than an iPhone 4, and inside you’ll find 40 LEDs and a rechargeable battery. It connects to your phone via Bluetooth and an app, and has a number of presets to keep things simple, although there are some custom flash modes too.
More info: bit.ly/1ySuFPo
Price: £50
Premium Photobooks
Yes, we’re biased, but once you’ve seen these Professional Photobooks you won’t want to showcase your photos anywhere else! Eight sizes of albums including lovely little Pocket Books and Parent Books. Plus an expert design service, premium printing, and lay-flat panoramic pages, all at unbeatable prices. There, we said it.
More info: www.photoproductions.com
Price: £130 upwards
Tamrac Expedition 6x Backpack
This sturdy, mid-size camera backpack is Tech Radar’s best buy: it has room for a DSLR and a whopping 10 extra lenses, plus a laptop compartment and tripod attachment system. Or make use of the ‘Dual Hinge Divider’ to store two DSLRs with lenses attached. It’s also got lots of pockets for filters, batteries, memory cards and parking tickets.
More info: bit.ly/1vpb6Rz
Price: £140
Sun-Sniper DPH Double Harness
No more struggling with multiple cameras – the German engineered Sun-Sniper DPH allows you to comfortably carry two DSLRs, plus a smaller compact or pair of binoculars. It’s ideal for wedding, press, wildlife and sports photographers, and it also comes with cut-proof straps, stainless steel bearings, and a shock-absorber. There’s also a TPH version that comes with a backpack and waist bag, but you’d need to fork out twice as much.
More info: bit.ly/1F3glaL
Price: £115
Phantom 2 Quadcopter Drone
Retailing at £700 upwards, this Quadcopter is very firmly at the premium end of the wish list. However the integrated 14mp camera, 25 minutes flying time, and ease of use is an excellent entry point into the world of aerial photos and video. For wedding and event photography in particular, imagine the incredible shots you could get of the venue from above, the guests arriving and so on. It certainly gives a USP to stand out from the photography crowd. You may want to rehearse that last line when your other half demands why you’ve “just spent the best part of a grand on a bloody toy?”!
More info: bit.ly/1iBAb3f
Price: £700 upwards
So there you go, we hope you enjoyed our round-up of the latest and greatest photography gifts!
